In New England: Getting active in Maine

Wednesday

Away from Maine's bustling Bar Harbor ("Bah Hahbah"), and off the congested Park Loop Road of Acadia National Park, there's a whole 'nother world to explore.

Away from Maine's bustling Bar Harbor ("Bah Hahbah"), and off the congested Park Loop Road of Acadia National Park, there's a whole 'nother world to explore.

In addition to the roadway, the park (www.nps.gov/acad) has 125 miles of trails to hike, 45 miles of carriage roads to bike on, sheltered bays to paddle in a sea kayak and craggy rock cliffs to climb.

On a recent visit, my fiancee Marilyn and I found our favorite thing to do here was biking on Acadia's fabulous carriage roads. They were designed originally for horse-drawn carriages, but if there's a better place for a non-threatening, calorie-burning workout on a fat-tire bike, I don't know where it is. If you don't have your own bike, Acadia Bike Rentals (www.acadiabike.com; 800-526-8615) has them available.

One afternoon, while Marilyn occupied her time reading and relaxing, I joined a group of sea kayakers doing a three-hour tour with National Park Sea Kayak Tours (www.acadiakayak.com; 1-800-347-0940). We launched near the aptly named Pretty Marsh, paddled along the shores of Bartlett, Hardwood and Moose islands and ended roughly five miles away at Seal Cove, seeing seals and seabirds galore.

Another morning, I trusted my life to the capable hands of the Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School (www.acadiamountainguides.com), climbing on the sea cliffs, which drop directly into foaming water. Even though your heart might pound like mine did, this is beginner-friendly rock: you're safely suspended from a top rope, so you can never fall more than a couple of inches. It's perfectly safe, it just doesn't feel like it.

To calm yourself while climbing you can look out and watch seagulls and Atlantic black guillemots (which look like winged footballs), and enjoy the views of working lobster boats and sailboats breezing serenely past.

Base yourself at the village of Southwest Harbor, "the quiet side of Acadia" (www.acadiachamber.com). The Harbour Cottage Inn Bed and Breakfast (www.harbourcottageinn.com) is a nice place to unwind and boasts a front lawn sloping toward the harbor. The rooms are impeccably decorated; the ambience relaxing; breakfast is over-the-top good.

For Maine seafood the way it should be, try The Seafood Ketch (207-244-7463) on the water in Bass Harbor, and the place for "lobsta," among other specialties.

Find more travel features and the Get Away with Fran blog at www.wickedlocal.com/getaway.

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